Canterberry Poker League · Tournament #58

Eric Denny Takes the All-Time Lead

Seven league wins, and no one else has more than six. It took him eight tries this season to get the first cash.

Nine players turned out on Valentine’s Day, the smallest Canterberry Poker League field since 2008, and Eric Denny knocked out five of the eight. It took three hours and nine minutes and paid $90 — his seventh league win, which is one more than anybody else has ever had.

Josh Reel and Warren Mervin are the men he leaves behind on six. Eric had not won since October 2012, and had gone the first seven tournaments of this season without cashing once — a ninth, a sixth, a fifth and four finishes of eleventh or worse.

Doug Klich was second for $50, the first cash of a career that is three tournaments old, and lost the heads-up match in three minutes and forty-six seconds. Dawn Bjork took third and $35, which was enough to move her back to the top of the standings. Lee Ugarte completed the money in fourth for $5.

Where the money went

The undercard

Mandy Denny bubbled in fifth, put out by Dawn. Rick Mazza was the first player out after an hour and thirty-seven minutes, the second time this season he has arrived leading the standings and left without the lead.

The bigger picture

Eight tournaments, seven different winners. Two remain.

Dawn Bjork leads on 80 points, two ahead of Rick Mazza and nine ahead of Erik Treiber, who has played five tournaments to their eight and has not been seen since January. With the standings counting a player’s best eight scores, both leaders have now filled their card — from here they can only improve on their worst night.

Canterberry Poker League #58 — Friday, February 14, 2014. 9 entrants, four paid from a $180 prize pool. Points shown are the league standings after eight tournaments of the 2013-14 season, best eight scores counting.